


What Do You Want For Christmas?

by The67ImpalaDragonChild



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, But Lance gets hit with one, Christmas, Christmas Music, Christmas Tree, Keith (Voltron) Swears, Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, Lance (Voltron) is a Dork, M/M, Romantic Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, no hippos were harmed in the making of this fic, so there is that, socially awkward boys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2019-12-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:07:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22029049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The67ImpalaDragonChild/pseuds/The67ImpalaDragonChild
Summary: "..oh what joy and what surprise, when I open up my eyes and see a hippo hero standing there..."AKA: This is not how they imagined meeting their soulmate would go, but boy will they have a story to tell.
Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 138





	What Do You Want For Christmas?

**Author's Note:**

> Basically, this is a plot bunny that bit me in the ass last year while listening to the song. I mentioned it to my sister and her best friend (who are Klance shippers) and they said that this was a fantastic idea and "you should write that!". Well, here I am a year later and I finally sat down and wrote the fucker. It's shorter than I intended, but oh well. 
> 
> Merry Christmas Sis and Adopted Sis! Hope it makes you smile!

The alarm screeched.

Keith flopped over in bed and smacked at it until it shut up. It boggled his mind that alarm clocks the universe over all made that same annoyingly  _ shrill _ noise. Seriously! Wasn’t there any  _ other _ noise alarm clocks could make?! Surely  _ someone _ had come up with  _ something _ ! 

Blessed silence fell.

Wait… Why in the hell had he set the alarm for so early? 

Keith rubbed at his eyes, glaring at his walls as if they’d suddenly provide the answers. In a way they kind of did. The little digital callender Pidge had made to help them keep track of what part of the year it was back on earth blinked merrily back at him. She’d made it to ensure that she didn’t miss one of their birthdays again (she’d missed Hunk’s and felt horrible about it). 

Today it flashed red and green as it proudly declared that today was  _ CHRISTMAS! _

He grinned.

As soon as someone had realized it was December, and that Christmas was on its way, they’d  _ all _ started planning. Keith hadn’t exactly been sold on the idea, but it was hard to remain aloof when everyone else was swinging full tilt into the christmas spirit. 

Even Shiro! 

Shiro had spent almost a week working with Pidge and Hunk to cobble together an artificial tree. It wasn’t the best, but it looked tree-like and lit up, so they were calling it good. And while he was busy with them, he’d ensured that everyone else had something to do to help.

Hunk was in charge of food, because of course he was. No matter that he’d helped with the tree, their resident foodie didn’t trust any of the rest of them to do Christmas justice food wise. So Hunk was in charge of the food.

As a way to get the Alteans involved, Shiro had respectfully requested their help in preparing to celebrate this terran holiday. Lance and Coran had been hijacking broadcasts from earth to get their hands on as many Christmas songs and movies as they could before the big day. 

And Keith? 

Keith and Allura had been tasked with the decorations for the tree. They’d scoured the entire castle for small items that sparkled or were full of color. Pieces of costume jewelry, garlands left over from banquets in centuries past. Shiny nuts and bolts from the workshop. Brightly colored pieces of paper folded into fun shapes. Anything and everything worked. They’d even managed to cobble together a makeshift star with Pidge’s help once she was through with the tree. She’d been more than happy to embed lights in their creation and make them compatible with the tree.

Everything had come together beautifully.

Keith had gone to bed Christmas eve far more hopeful than he’d been in a long time. 

His smile faded. Under the blankets he traced his fingers over the words tattooed into his hip bone. He knew that the words weren’t raised, just a discoloration of the skin. But he fancied that he could feel them under his fingers just the same. 

Especially since they’d colored.

Everyone was born with the words. In their soulmates own handwriting were the words they would say. But there was a trick to it. You were born with pale words. They stayed pale throughout your life until you were at a point where you were  _ ready _ to meet your soulmate. Then the words turned a deep angry red. Once  _ both _ were ready, the first words they would say would be the soulmark. And the words would burn black. 

Keith’s had been red for five months now. 

And he couldn’t help but wonder… had his soulmate been waiting on him? Or would he be waiting on them? For their sake, he hoped he would be waiting on  _ them _ to be ready. Because it wasn’t likely he’d be back on earth anytime soon. And he hated the thought of them  _ waiting _ for months or even  _ years _ for him to come back to them.

A loud pounding on his door dragged him from his musing.

“Come on Keith! Get up! It’s Christmas!” Hunk bellowed.

Keith couldn’t help but grin. “Alright! Alright! I’m up! I’ll be out in a few!”

“Don’t be too long!”

Keith sighed and rolled out of bed. He shoved his feet into a pair of slippers and pulled on a hoodie. The castle was incredible, but it could get a little chilly. He fetched his dagger off the bedside table, and paused. Beside the dagger, was the only other possession he refused to part with.

It wasn’t much.

It was small, barely an inch and a half long. Just a bright blue plastic hippo with the biggest  _ derpiest _ grin on his giant mouth. It’d been with him through thick and thin. Ever since he’d first been able to decipher the chicken scratch etched into his hip bone in fact. As soon as he’d worked out what those shifty little characters said he’d scraped together what little change he could and gone out and gotten it. And it had lived in his pocket from then on. 

He sighed and scooped it up. 

His soulmate was still on earth, that stupid plastic hippo was the closest he was going to get to them anytime soon. The hippo nestled in his pocket against his words, he headed for the main hall and their makeshift tree.

* * *

The main hall was its own brand of chaos when he arrived.

Music was playing full blast over the speakers, and Coran was loudly asking questions about the various holiday traditions. Shiro was patiently explaining. The man must’ve had the patience of a saint to put up with their shenanigans, let alone Coran’s logic circles. Overhead, Pidge’s rebuilt rover was darting hither and yon, occasionally dive bombing someone with a sprig of mistletoe. Hunk yelled and made a frantic dive out of the way before he and Allura could be caught under it, much to Pidge’s amusement.

The music changed to a peppy tune Keith had never heard before, and he suppressed a laugh as Lance danced out from behind the tree bellowing the lyrics at the top of his lungs. He was hamming it up, getting more outrageous with each giggle he garnered. But even so he was a surprisingly good dancer. Lance grabbed Hunk by the wrist and trotted him around in stumbling circles while he caroled. Hunk’s two left feet were well known, but it didn’t seem to stop either of them from having a whale of a time. Lance finally caught sight of him and grinned right at him as he sang the next verse.

And Keith’s stomach dropped right down into his slippers. 

“I want a hippopotamus for Christmas! Only a hippopotamus will do. No crocodiles, no rhinoceroses. I only like hippopotamuses! And hippopotamuses like me too!” 

Across Keith’s hip, the words burned to life. 

Without even thinking, Keith snatched the maniacally grinning hippo out of his pocket and pegged it with startling accuracy to nail Lance in the head before he could draw breath for another verse. He got him right between the eyes. Lance stumbled, the hippo bouncing off his forehead, out of his hands when he tried to catch it, and skittered away under the christmas tree.

“Motherfucker do you have  _ any _ fucking idea just how god damn  _ long _ I’ve been  _ carrying _ that stupid thing you asshole?!” Keith bellowed.

Any and all movement in the room ceased, the cheery tune rollicking on without them as the singer suggested putting the hippo in their garage. Lance’s face had gone pale with shock, and abruptly it hit Keith what he’d just done. What Lance’s words  _ said _ . Oh god, Lance had swear words tattooed on his body because of him! 

The blood drained from his face.

Wordlessly, he turned and bolted back the way he’d come.

He could hear the others calling after him, but he didn’t stop until he was safely back in his rooms. Nervous energy coursed through him. He paced restlessly, hands raking through his hair as he tried to come to terms with what had just happened.

* * *

He’d just activated. 

With Lance! 

_ Lance _ ! 

Of all people, it was  _ Lance _ ?!

It made sense though, if he thought about it. They said opposites attract, and they certainly did. He was quiet where Lance was loud. Muted where Lance was bold. But they were a lot alike too. Short tempers and a drive to prove themselves included. 

The irony of activating with his self-proclaimed nemesis and rival wasn’t lost on him either.

Keith grimaced and flopped down on his bed. Damn it, he owed Lance an apology didn’t he? For hitting him in the head with the hippo, for the swear words and insults etched into his skin, for tucking tail and running… Damn, suddenly Lance’s habit of constantly offering to help carry things made a bit more sense too. 

Keith groaned and dragged a pillow over his head. Could the ground just open up and swallow him already? Or maybe the window could spontaneously crack and eject him out into space. Anything to escape the mess he’d just made of his activation.

Lance was never going to let him hear the end of this was he?

As if summoned by the mere thought, a hesitant knock sounded on the door.

“Keith? Listen um… could, could we maybe, you know… talk?”

Well shit.

Time to face the music.

Pillow still in hand, Keith dragged himself across the room and opened the door. Lance waited in the hall, hands tucked behind his back. He seemed almost startled that Keith had actually opened the door. Which… fair. 

Cheeks burning, he ducked his head, rocking on his heels. “You alright?”

God Keith felt like a jerk. “Yeah. I’m fine… Listen. I, uh… I’m sorry. For running. It’s a lot to process.” Trying for a smile, he ducked his head a little to catch Lance’s eye. “It’s not everyday you activate a soulbond with your rival. Right?”

Lance’s shoulders crept down from around his ears, and he gave him a grin. “True. So… the hippo?”

Keith blushed. “I was… I think I was eight when I finally deciphered your chicken scratch. And um… well, eight year old me was horrified that you were gonna be disappointed on Christmas, ‘cause no way was Santa going to bring you a real one. So… I um, I went out and found that stupid hippo first chance I got. I’ve had it ever since.”

Lance was full out grinning now. “My hero. Tell eight year old you I really appreciate it.”

“I’ll get right on that.”

“See that you do.” Lance agreed solemnly. 

Silence fell like a lead weight between them, both unsure of what to say next. How do you move forward when you find out you’ve been living with your soulmate for over a year? 

His hip throbbed with his raw words and Keith grimaced. “Should probably apologize for marking you up with so many swear words too. I’m sure you’re Mom was thrilled…”

Lance threw his head back and cackled. “Oh God! You have no idea. You know she used to cover them with a bandage so I couldn’t read your bad language words? They're wrapped around my thigh by the way, so we’ll have to wait until… you know, when Pidge and the others aren’t monitoring us like creepers probably.”

They both shot grins up at the nearest camera.

“Probably.” Keith agreed.

“So…” Lance bounced a little, incapable of holding still. Hands  _ still _ tucked behind his back. Keith was beginning to think he had something hidden back there. “Where’s…?”

“My hip.” Keith rested his hand over the tender area. “You know I didn’t even know that was a song until today?”

“You’re kidding?! Were you living under a rock?”

“Shut up.”

Lance snickered, and the ball of tension in Keith’s gut started to uncoil. The soulmark didn’t change anything. They were still Lance and Keith. It just added to it. Now they were Lance  _ and _ Keith. Not two halves of a whole, but two wholes that came together to make something  _ new _ . Now that the initial panic was dying down, he was starting to get excited about what they could become…

“So…” Apparently that was Lance’s go to space filler.

From behind his back, Lance pulled a white t-shirt. On the front of it was the absolute _ worst _ most  _ childish _ drawing of a hippo Keith had ever seen. In  _ sharpie _ ! At least, he was pretty sure it was a hippo. Those were probably eyes, and that bit there  _ kinda _ looked like the plastic hippo’s gap toothed grin.  _ Kind _ of. It could just as easily have been a drawing of a sumo wrestler with a trick-or-treat bucket.

Lance proudly held it out to him. “...be my hippo?”

Keith walloped him with the pillow.

* * *

Oh yeah, they were gonna be just fine.

**Author's Note:**

> Yes? No? Maybe so? 
> 
> Come play with me on Tumblr, if you have the notion! :)  
> https://dragonimpal67.tumblr.com/


End file.
